The Line has always come up as one of the better buffets here in Singapore. So a couple of weeks ago, my cousin and I went to try it out for lunch.

Now I've been to a lot of buffets in Manila since my previous job as a travel coordinator involved meeting up with the sales staff of various hotels. And whenever you visit them, they usually treat you to the lunch buffet.

The reason I mention this is because I could not help compare The Line with their Philippine counterpart, Circles Event Café in Makati Shangri-La. For me, the food quality was the same but there's a difference in terms of quantity. Come to think of it, many of the buffets I've tried back home seem to have more food options than the one I just went to (especially Spiral at Sofitel Philippine Plaza with the unlimited foie gras).

One example is the carving station, The Line only had roast turkey. In Manila, the bigger hotels will usually have prime rib, and one other meat such as roast turkey, duck or pork. Sometimes, they even have three options.

Maybe because food is cheaper or there are no diet restrictions due to religion?

Whatever the reason, I was disappointed because what I love most about buffets is having as many dishes as possible to choose from . I don't eat everything (I have since learned to pace myself), but I like to take comfort in the knowledge that they're there - the excitement lies in the possibilities!

Drum Tao

Earl had heard about this years ago so when we found out they were going to be in Singapore, we immediately bought tickets.

The seats we got were at the top most level (on the third floor), and having never been to the Esplanade Theatre before, I assumed we would be too far up to see much of anything. Fortunately, my fears were unfounded because while the place was not small, it wasn't vast so we were able to see everything quite clearly.

Another misconception was that I thought the entire production would just be about Japanese drums - I was already bracing myself for a migraine (clearly I did not read the synopsis provided online). Turns out it involved humour, acrobatics and a few other traditional Japanese instruments such as the three strings Japanese guitar, bamboo flute, and Japanese harp. The drums were still the focal point, but all of it put together made for a very pleasant afternoon.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

A huge garden in the middle of the city? Yup, and best of all it's free!

It's a great place for pictorials (we saw two pairs of newlyweds) and kids - we spotted a monkey, a squirrel, a couple of swans and lots of turtles (along with the requisite fish which other visitors were feeding). Oh, there were also quite a few joggers and groups playing frisbee.

We entered through the Tanglin Gate which is next to Orchard Road. The place is huge - we only got as far as the National Orchid Garden before we had to turn back as we had an appointment after lunch. There was a fee to enter the orchid section, but it's minimal at SGD 5 per person.

They also have a "VIP" section where they name the hybrids after politicians or royalty. If my memory serves me right, the white ones below are in memory of the late Princess Diana and the more colourful ones were for Baroness Margaret Thatcher when she visited the gardens in 1985.